Al-Qur'an Surah Az-Zukhruf Verse 21

Mufti Taqi Usmani

Or have We given to them a book before this, and they are adhering to it?

Dr. Mustafa Khattab, the Clear Quran

Or have We given them a Book ˹for proof˺, before this ˹Quran˺, to which they are holding firm?

Ruwwad Translation Center

Or have We given them a Book before this [Qur’an], to which they are holding fast?

A. J. Arberry

Or did We bring them a Book aforetime to which they hold?

Abdul Haleem

or have We perhaps given them a book before this one, to which they hold fast?

Abdul Majid Daryabadi

Have We vouchsafed Unto them any Book before this, so that they are to it holding fast?

Abdullah Yusuf Ali

What! have We given them a Book before this, to which they are holding fast?

Abul Ala Maududi

Or did We bestow upon them a Book before on whose authority they are holding on (to angel-worship)?

Ahmed Ali

Did We give them a Scripture before this to which they are holding fast?

Ahmed Raza Khan

Or have We given them some Book before this, to which they hold fast?

Ali Quli Qarai

Did We give them a Book before this, so that they are holding fast to it?

Ali Ünal

Or did We give them a Book before this (Qur’an) and so they are holding fast to it (and worshipping their false deities by its authority)?

Amatul Rahman Omar

Have We given them a Scripture before this (Qur´ân) so that they are thereby adducing an argument (in support of their conjectures)?

English Literal

Or We gave them a Book from before it, so they are with it holding/seizing/ grasping ?

Faridul Haque

Or have We given them some Book before this, to which they hold fast?

Hamid S. Aziz

Or have We given them a book before it (the Quran) so that they hold fast to it?

Hilali & Khan

Or have We given them any Book before this (the Quran), to which they are holding fast?

Maulana Mohammad Ali

And they say: If the Beneficent had pleased, we should not have worshipped them. They have no knowledge of this; they only lie.

Mohammad Habib Shakir

Or have We given them a book before it so that they hold fast to it?

Mohammed Marmaduke William Pickthall

Or have We given them any scripture before (this Qur'an) so that they are holding fast thereto?

Muhammad Sarwar

Had We, before sending the Quran, given them a book to which they now refer as an authority?

Qaribullah & Darwish

Or have We given them a Book before this which they hold fast to?

Safi-ur-Rahman al-Mubarakpuri

Or have We given them any Book before this (the Qur'an) to which they are holding fast

Wahiduddin Khan

Have We given them a Book before this, to which they are holding fast?

Talal Itani

Or have We given them a book prior to this one, to which they adhere?

Tafsir jalalayn

Or have We brought them a scripture before, that is, [before] the Qur'n, that they should worship other than God, so that they are holding fast to it? In other words, this never happened.

Tafseer Ibn Kathir

The Idolators have no Proof

Allah condemns the idolators for worshipping others instead of Allah with no evidence or proof for doing so.

أَمْ اتَيْنَاهُمْ كِتَابًا مِّن قَبْلِهِ

Or have We given them any Book before this?

means, before their idolatry.

فَهُم بِهِ مُسْتَمْسِكُونَ



to which they are holding fast,

means, with regard to what they are doing. This is not the case.

This is like the Ayah;

أَمْ أَنزَلْنَا عَلَيْهِمْ سُلْطَـناً فَهُوَ يَتَكَلَّمُ بِمَا كَانُواْ بِهِ يُشْرِكُونَ

Or have We revealed to them an authority (a Scripture), which speaks of that which they have been associating with Him? (30;35)

meaning, that did not happen.

Then Allah says;

بَلْ قَالُوا إِنَّا وَجَدْنَا ابَاءنَا عَلَى أُمَّةٍ وَإِنَّا عَلَى اثَارِهِم مُّهْتَدُونَ